


Autumn Leaves and Autumn Stays

by MoonwalkingCrab



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Autumn, Conkers, Fluff, M/M, fluff and kisses, misinterpretation of the word conkers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-15
Updated: 2017-10-15
Packaged: 2019-01-17 20:13:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12373197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonwalkingCrab/pseuds/MoonwalkingCrab
Summary: Kylo is returning to the US soon, Hux just wants to share his love of Autumn before he goes.





	Autumn Leaves and Autumn Stays

**Author's Note:**

  * For [surfaces](https://archiveofourown.org/users/surfaces/gifts).



Hands thrust in the depths of his pockets, Hux strolled through the gates of the park, his easy gait at odds with the simmering turmoil in his mind. 

It was late afternoon, and the air was already starting to turn crisp as the sun sank lower. It lit the clouds from the inside out, washing the sky in a glow of the palest gold. The faintest hint of smoke tinged the light breeze and Hux breathed deep, filling his lungs with the quintessential scent of autumn.

Leaves spiralled around him as the wind picked up for an instant, whipping Hux’s hair from his forehead. He frowned, brushing it back into place; he could already see the dark figure of Kylo waiting for him, and it wouldn’t do to be anything but presentable.

Kylo was scowling, unsurprisingly. His cheeks were flushed, and his nose was pink with cold despite the swaddling warmth of his scarf. Hux couldn’t help but smile as he approached; Kylo’s ears—those wonderful ears that he could never stop kissing—were covered by the biggest, fuzziest pair of grey earmuffs that Hux had ever seen.

“Kylo!” he called, waving him over. “Have you been waiting long?”

Kylo’s expression suddenly lightened, and he smiled, hooking a finger into the emerald green wool of Hux’s scarf and pulling him close, kissing him until he was breathless.

“Not long,” he said, smirking at the glazed look in Hux’s eyes. “But I thought the bonfire thing didn’t start ‘til later?” He slipped an arm around Hux, hand diving into Hux’s jacket pocket for warmth, and twined their fingers together.

“It doesn’t,” said Hux, already unconsciously slipping closer to the warmth of Kylo’s body. “I just thought it would be nice to take a little walk, enjoy the scenery.” He pursed his lips, swallowing. “After all, you— I mean, we”—his fingers twisted in Kylo’s own—“you’re heading back to the States soon, and I wanted to share this with you.” Hux’s gaze dropped to his feet. “It’s my favourite time of year.”

He forced himself to smile as he met Kylo’s gaze. There was no use getting sad; they had both known this would be a temporary thing.

“I don’t know why you like it so much,” Kylo sniffed. “It’s pretty cold. Fall isn’t like this in California.”

Hux rolled his eyes; of course Kylo was going to complain. “Well, that is why you wrap up,” he said, giving Kylo’s nose the lightest of taps with one gloved finger.

“So I see.” Kylo leaned his head on Hux’s shoulder. “You look pretty cute all cosy like this.”

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” Hux said with a soft smile. He extracted Kylo’s hand from his pocket, setting off towards the trees. “Come on, then. If you’re going to experience a British autumn, then we’re going to do it properly.”

Tightness gripped Hux’s chest, even as he grinned; he hadn’t realised how much the thought of giving this up would hurt.

It was only ever meant to be a fling: a little light tension relief with the coworker who’d made his life hell for the last few months. How was Hux supposed to know that he’d end up falling for Kylo? How was he supposed to know the pang of agony that lanced through his stomach every time he thought of him leaving? How was Hux supposed to know how much the simplest smile would make his breath catch and his heart soar?

And soon it would all be over.

Kylo nudged at Hux’s shoulder, jolting him out from within his own mind. “Hux? You in there?”

“Sorry, yes. I was just…thinking.”

“Yeah? What about?” Kylo raised his eyebrows, and Hux turned away, a half truth on his lips.

“You.”

“Aww, that’s sweet.” Kylo raised a hand to stroke through Hux’s hair. “Maybe you should kiss me, then. It might warm me up.”

“I seriously cannot believe you’re cold,” Hux said with a shake of his head. “You’re _always_ warm.”

“Yeah, that’s why you always seem to use me as a pillow.” Kylo’s lips quirked in a smile. “Am I right?”

With an exaggerated sigh, Hux stopped and wrapped his arms around Kylo’s neck. “You’re right, I’m only in it for the body heat. You caught me.” His fingers stroked through the lighter curls just poking out behind Kylo’s earmuffs, and his eyes slipped shut as he lost himself in the kiss.

Kylo’s lips were rough and chapped, and the cold length of his nose pressed against Hux’s cheek as he pulled him close. Still though, Hux could feel the heat of his body through their many layers of clothes, and it warmed him from the inside out. He opened his mouth at the first swipe of Kylo’s tongue across his lips, sighing at the sweet taste. Their tongues gently brushed together, and Hux could feel his toes curl inside his boots as a shiver of want ran through him. There was a brush against his cheek, and Hux blinked in surprise; both of Kylo’s hands were on his back.

The errant brush came from a single golden leaf—sycamore—that had, by some miracle, managed to land squarely between their cheeks. Kylo pulled back, peering at it before tossing it into the air and watching it gently float to join the heaps of others scattered across the ground.

“Oh, yeah,” he said, voice soft. “We’re supposed to be here for the leaves and stuff. Oh—” He bent down, taking a small, featherlike seed from the ground. “Helicopter seeds. Cool.”

A rush of warmth filled Hux, watching Kylo as he flicked the seed upwards and smiled when it started to spiral back towards the ground. He plucked a few more from the leaf litter, tossing them one after another, until the air was full of them, twirling and dancing in the breeze.

Hux glanced around his feet, searching for a seed of his own, when a spiky casing caught his eye. With a crunch of leaves and a little shuffling, he found what he was looking for.

The chestnut was large and slippery smooth in Hux’s palm, the weight of it bringing a wave of nostalgia to the forefront of Hux’s mind.

“Hey, Kylo?” Hux said, ignoring the flutter in his belly as the sunlight surrounded Kylo in a golden corona, making him glow. “Did you ever play conkers when you were younger?”

Eyebrows sliding together in confusion, Kylo turned away from the rainfall of spiralling sycamore seeds. “No? What’s a conker? Sounds like a euphemism to me.” He smirked and sidled up to Hux, one large hand dropping to give a firm squeeze to his ass. “Like this.”

Hux snorted, not even trying to dislodge Kylo’s hand. “It’s a game.” He scuffed a few more leaves aside. “It’s played with chestnuts.” Bending down he scooped up another chestnut and pressed it into Kylo’s palm. “You fight with them.”

“What?” Kylo’s mouth parted softly in confusion. “Like, you just throw the chestnuts at each other?”

“No, of course not. You put them on string.”

“You fight each other with chestnuts on strings?” Kylo’s eyes were wide, incredulous. “This is one of your weird British things, isn’t it?”

“No.” Hux ran his fingers across his forehead. “I’m not explaining this very well, am I?”

“Not really.” Kylo smiled. “But go on.” 

Hux folded his arms. “I’ll have you know it’s a matter of great pride and importance in the schoolyard, Kylo.” He held the chestnut up. “Now, what you do is you drill a hole in it and thread a string through the middle. Some people will try to harden them with clear nail varnish, or vinegar, or baking them in the oven, but traditionally, you just take the biggest one you can find and hope it can hold up.”

“Wow, you’re _really_ serious about this,” Kylo said with a smile. He stroked a finger across one sharp cheekbone. “Go on. So you hit the chestnut with the other chestnut, then what?”

“Well, you take it in turns, and then the one that doesn’t break is the winner.” Hux squeezed tight at the chestnut in his hand. “They banned it at our school, something about health and safety and all that nonsense. It didn’t stop us.”

“Of course, it didn’t.” Kylo slipped his own chestnut into a pocket. “I’m gonna put this on a string when I get back to my place, and then next time we meet up, we’re gonna fight.”

Hux raised an eyebrow. “Really?” A sly smile spread up his cheeks. “But my dear Kylo”— he petted Kylo’s hand—“you hate to lose.”

“Oh, _that’s_ how it is.” Kylo smiled, meeting Hux’s eyes, a direct challenge in his gaze. “You’re sure you could beat me?”

Hux smirked. “Pretty sure.”

“Well, what if I do _this_ —” Hux squawked as strong arms were wrapped about his waist and he found himself falling, landing face-first with a _crunch_ in the leaves. The cold length of Kylo’s nose was pressed under his ear, making him shiver and squirm, even as Kylo held him tight, rolling them.

“You’re only proving my point, you know,” Hux whispered as Kylo rolled over, pinning Hux down with his knees on either side of his hips. The leaves crackled beneath them, and Hux could smell the rich, wet scent of the earth rising to mingle with the cold fog of their breath. Kylo simply cocked his head, tongue slipping out to wet his lips. His gaze softened as Hux peered up at him, and he leaned in at the same moment Hux reached out.

Hux’s fingers tangled in the thick mass of Kylo’s hair, pulling him down into the carpet of leaves as they kissed. Kylo’s mouth was a single point of heat as the dying light brought with it a deep chill. Their tongues slipped together, and Hux could swear he could taste pumpkin spice latte. He wasn’t surprised—Kylo had something of a weakness for them. He held back a moan that threatened to slip from his throat, choosing instead to slide his thigh between Kylo’s legs, distracting and dislodging him.

Kylo rolled onto his back with a rustle of leaves and sighed. His breath hung above them in a light cloud, and Hux followed suit, sending a puff of air to collide with Kylo’s. They glanced at each other and smiled, hands joining together without a thought.

Hux swallowed, tears unexpectedly prickling in the corners of his eyes; he didn’t want to give this up. He wasn’t ready for this fling to end.

“Come on,” Hux said. With a shiver, he pressed himself up from the ground. “The bonfire should be starting soon. It’s getting dark.”

The dappled light was fading from copper to silver, evening chill starting to settle over the park as they rose, dusting stray leaves from their clothes. Kylo was staring at Hux, hair in disarray and streaks of dirt across one cheek.

“How do you do it?” he asked. 

Hux frowned. “How do I do what?”

Kylo gestured, taking in Hux from head to toe. “This. You’re barely ruffled, and your hair is perfect.” He reached to pluck a sycamore seed from the bright strands before seeming to reconsider. “You make leaves look like an accessory.”

Hux took in the dark tangle of Kylo’s hair and the handful of leaves that seemed to have woven themselves into it. “You look pretty good, I’d say.”

“I look like a compost heap. _You_ look like the prince of fall, or like, an elf or some shit.”

“I’m going to guess that’s a compliment,” Hux said, leading the way towards the open space of the field. People were just starting to gather, clustered around the vans selling food and drink and milling about the barrier separating them from the faintly smoking pile that would soon blaze into life.

Kylo slipped his arm around Hux’s shoulders, head tilted upwards to sniff the air. “Something smells good.” He turned, seeming to follow the trail. “Mulled cider. Nice! You want some?”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Good. Stay here; it’s my round.”

A few minutes later, Hux was warming his hands on a barely serviceable plastic cup, the scent of cloves, apple, and cinnamon making him sigh in contentment. Beside him Kylo sipped his own drink, an almost sleepy smile on his face.

“This is nice,” Kylo said. “I’m starting to see why you like this time of year.”

Hux simply nodded, a pang of want aching in his chest; what he wouldn’t give to have more days like this. With Kylo.

The sound of conversation rippled around them as the rising sparks of the bonfire began to flicker into the darkening sky, lighting the faces of the crowd in a sunset glow. The heat was steadily spreading, and Hux could already see Kylo’s cheeks starting to pinken.

“You seem to be a bit warmer now,” Hux said with a smile. “Or at least you’ve stopped complaining about it.”

“Well, maybe I’m enjoying myself.” Kylo shrugged. “I’m glad we did this.”

Hux swallowed another mouthful of cider, buying himself a little time to consider his response. He pursed his lips, not meeting Kylo’s eyes and hoping his voice sounded far lighter than he felt.

“It’s nothing really, something nice to remember after you’re back home.” Hux’s fist clenched in his pocket, gripping tight at the chestnut still nestled there. He stared at his shoes, feeling Kylo’s shoulder brushing against his.

“Hux…Armitage—” Kylo’s words were cut off by the high-pitched squeal of the first rocket blazing into the air in a stream of sparks. It burst high above the crowd, lighting their faces with a burst of mauve light that had them oohing and ahhing.

Hux glanced at Kylo, frowning. “What?”

Another blast interrupted Kylo. It rained down golden sparkles above them, and Hux pressed closer, trying to make out the words on Kylo’s lips. He shook his head, shrugging, still unable to hear a thing above the crackling fireworks.

“Sorry, I can’t—” Hux cupped his hand to his ear.

“I. Said. I’m. Not. Leaving!”

Silence seemed to fall around them, the display somehow pausing to make that one moment stretch into eternity. It seemed to Hux that his ears were ringing, the noise of the crowd fading away to a dull rush.

“You’re not?”

Kylo shook his head. Smiling, he tugged gently on Hux’s sleeve, leading them further from the noise.

“I was waiting to tell you. Snoke offered me a permanent contract. I’m staying here.” Kylo’s teeth scraped across his lower lip, and he turned to Hux with a smile that was almost shy. “I wanted you to be the first to know.”

“Oh, really?” Hux said, unable to hide the smile on his face. His stomach fluttered. “Why me?”

Kylo stroked Hux’s forehead with one hand. “Well, in case you hadn’t noticed, I kinda like you.” He squeezed Hux’s hand, lacing their fingers together. “I thought maybe you’d want to make _this_...us, official.”

Hux breathed deep, dropping his head to lean on Kylo’s shoulder. “That sounds perfect.”

Kylo breathed a sigh that Hux thought might just be relief and pressed his face into the depths of Hux’s scarf. “Do you maybe wanna go back to my place once the fireworks are done?” he mumbled.

“Yes,” said Hux, gently stroking through Kylo’s hair. He pressed a kiss to the smoke-scented strands. “After all, I still have to kick your arse at conkers.”


End file.
